I’ve reached the final hurdle in my CIPR Diploma studies – researching and writing the 6000 word personal project.

The personal project looks like a great opportunity to put everything I’ve learnt so far into action, and do some real in-depth research into a topic that’s interesting and useful for me as a student and practitioner.

I’m keen to research a subject that’s relevant to my day job, so I’ve been thinking of the following as a title:

“What is the role of social media in local government communications?”

There’s real potential for the use of social media for local government to communicate and consult more effectively with local audiences. However to date the sector’s adoption of social media has been slow and patchy.

In my research I hope to draw on UK and international case studies to understand how social media can play a role in helping local government communicate, particularly with audiences that it does not traditionally communicate effectively with.

I need to start thinking about my research methodology, but what do you think about this topic? Are there any must-see resources for public sector use of social media that you can point me towards? Do you have any examples of how your local council has used social media?

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